CHARLOTTE, N.C. — The Georgia Bulldogs dropped a 76-65 decision in a charitable exhibition at Charlotte on Sunday afternoon.

Jailyn Ingram led the Bulldogs with 19 points, while Jabri Abdur-Rahim added 12. Jahmir Young paced the Niners with 30 points.

“This was an invaluable experience to go on the road and play against a physically tough and aggressive team that you would not get in a home exhibition or even in a closed scrimmage,” head coach Tom Crean said. “We were able to see that when we execute and play the way we have been practicing, we do well and also see what happens when we get away from it. I’m glad that we did it. I’m disappointed in the loss and I know the players are too but if we take advantage of what we learned in this, it will be well worth it.”

Abdur-Rahim helped Georgia grab the game’s first significant lead, scoring 10 points in a 16-7 surge that put the Bulldogs up 20-13 with 12:59 left in the first half. That margin eventually bulged to double digits twice, topping out at 29-18 following a pair of Jaxon Etter free throws.

Georgia remained on top until the Niners closed the period on a 15-3 run over the final 6:06. A bucket by Young gave Charlotte a 36-34 lead at the intermission, the Niners’ first lead since 6-4. Charlotte opened the second stanza with a 7-0 spurt over the first 1:34 to quickly extend the lead to 43-34.

Charlotte’s lead also topped out at 11, 51-40 at the 13:44 mark. Consecutive buckets from Etter, Kario Oquendo and Christian Wright trimmed that margin to five points just 78 seconds later, but the Bulldogs’ rally stalled there.

Georgia pulled within four points with 3:23 remaining and gained possession down 66-61 with just under three minutes left but could not pull closer.

Georgia will play another exhibition game on Friday, Nov. 5, when the Bulldogs host Morehouse at Stegeman Coliseum at 7:00 p.m. The regular-season opener is set for Tuesday, Nov. 9 when Georgia hosts Florida International, also at 7:00 p.m. ET.

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